Man arrested over drinking companion's death in Kawasaki

Police on Friday arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of killing a man who died after being found unconscious, bleeding from a head wound, in the corridor of a commercial building in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Thursday.

Police had received a call at around 11:50 a.m. from a building tenant, saying that a man was lying in the corridor on the third floor of the building in Kawasaki Ward. He was taken to hospital where he later died. Police identified him as Munetatsu Matayoshi, 36, a construction worker.

Late Thursday night, Asutake Otsuka turned himself in at a police station and said he had argued with Matayoshi after they had been out drinking together the previous night. He was quoted as saying he thought Matayoshi had taken his cell phone and that he knocked him down but he denied any intent to kill.

Police said the two men had known each other for about a month.

The building is about 400 meters from JR Kawasaki Station.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to show that a suspect has been arrested.